Apple Says HomePod Consumes Less Power Than Average LED Bulb During Music Playback

[MacRumors]

Apple has outlined the HomePod's power consumption in an environmental report [PDF] about the speaker published today.

Apple says the HomePod consumes less power than an average ENERGY STAR certified LED household light bulb during music playback. The comparison is true, as a classic-shaped A-series LED bulb typically draws around 9-10 watts, while the HomePod draws around 8.74 watts with 115V of line voltage during music playback at 50 percent volume. Of course, power will vary depending on the volume.

The environmental report includes a chart with a complete breakdown of the HomePod's power consumption based on different line voltages. For those unaware, around 115V is standard in the United States and Canada, and around 230V is standard in many other countries like the UK. 100V is standard in Japan.

Apple says the HomePod is so energy efficient because it automatically enters a low power mode after eight minutes of inactivity. In this mode, the speaker draws between only 1.71 and 1.76 watts of power.

HomePod outperforms the stringent requirements of the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Audio/Video Version 3.0, consuming 50 percent less than the allowable energy for low power mode, according to Apple.

HomePod uses power-efficient components and software that can intelligently power them down during periods of inactivity. For example, through optimized power management features and a high-efficiency power supply, HomePod has been designed to be efficient in its low power mode, where the majority of time is spent. The result is that HomePod is energy efficient right out of the box.

The environmental report also notes the HomePod is free of brominated flame retardants, PVC, and beryllium, and adds that 100 percent of its packaging fibers are sourced from responsibly managed forests or recycled paper.

On a related note, an Apple support representative told 9to5Mac that the HomePod comes with a two-meter power cable in the box that is color matched in Space Gray or White. The representative said the cable is removable and user replaceable, but this wasn't the case on demo units, so it may be wrong information.

Apple began accepting HomePod orders today in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia for $349, £319, and $499 respectively. The speaker can be used elsewhere in English for now, with French and German coming this spring.

Article Link: Apple Says HomePod Consumes Less Power Than Average LED Bulb During Music Playback

 

[sp3k0psv3t]

Interning use of power consumption.

Good job Apple.

 

[nikosl7]

So it is not loud enough.

 

[ck2875]

The cable is said to be removable and user replaceable, so there's a good chance Apple will sell the cables individually after the HomePod launches February 9.

Uhhhhh...Why? The Airport and Apple TV have removable power cables. Does Apple sell those cables individually?

Edit: I don't think people shouldn't be able to buy these cables (I don't care what the F people do with their money) [yay double negative]. I also hadn't considered that you could go through Apple Support to buy replacement parts. I was going off of the concept that Apple isn't putting power cables the Apple TV and Airport on their retail store walls, and they aren't available in the Apple Store app. I was simply asking why they thought there was a good chance they would be sold individually.

 

[macduke]

An LED lightbulb would be more useful.

All joking aside, this thing doesn’t seem very useful.

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Uhhhhh...Why? The Airport and Apple TV have removable power cables. Does Apple sell those cables individually? I think the odds these are sold individually is closer to 0.

9to5Mac said they'll be sold separately. But the info seems based off an Apple online chat representative, and those people often give out wrong information about things they don't know, and so I hedged by saying "good chance." But I've edited to simply "a chance" now. We'll see what happens!

 

[jav6454]

So it is not loud enough.

Until we can dissect one to see the power rating of its speakers... it’s an assumption. A good assumption nonetheless

 

[zapm]

So it is not loud enough.

Yeah it's quieter than a light bulb. Nice catch there.

 

[newyorksole]

An LED lightbulb would be more useful.

All joking aside, this thing doesn’t seem very useful.

Lmaoo. This is a genuinely funny post.

But how is the HomePod not useful? The UE MegaBoom is $299 and doesn’t have “smart functions”.

Apple packed awesome audio technology into a device that is also a personal assistant (that will get better over time) and a hub for your smart home. You can still stream/AirPlay music to it that’s not in your Apple Music app.

I don’t get why it’s getting so much hate.

 

[BMcCoy]

So it is not loud enough.

Oh, you saw <10W and made the erroneous link to speaker volume..

Go and read about speaker sensitivity.. and impedance for that matter.
It'll all become clear then!

 

[RMW]

So it is not loud enough.

Reasonable point. Amplifiers draw current or should.

 

[H2SO4]

Until we can dissect one to see the power rating of its speakers... it’s an assumption. A good assumption nonetheless

If you only put 9.25W in, you'll get less than 9.25W out. I'd be surprised if a long through woofer had a sensitivity of more than 90db.

 

[rpat701]

Uhhhhh...Why? The Airport and Apple TV have removable power cables. Does Apple sell those cables individually? I think the odds these are sold individually is closer to 0.

They do sell them. You have to call support.

 

[where is it]

It'll consume even less power if I don't buy one.

 

[iMi]

While I am interested, I am going to wait to see how well received these speakers are. We have the original Echo. It still works great but I want something that works with the Music subscription, so we'll see. The cost is high compared to other types of connected speakers.

I suspect that it may not do as well as Apple expects. In such case, sale prices at Best Buy will follow. Drop a $100 and I'll buy it. At full price, it seem like a "me too" product. Why pay more for it...

 

[jav6454]

If you only put 9.25W in, you'll get less than 9.25W out. I'd be surprised if a long through woofer had a sensitivity of more than 90db.

Not exactly. There are several other factors that’ll affect speaker power other than input power.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Uhhhhh...Why?

The ability to have additional plug-in power cords is great. It gives you the ability to pre-position power cords in hard-to-get-to places in other rooms, such as the outlet behind a dresser.

 

[Paradoxally]

This is gonna be a product everyone will want in 2-3 years.

 

[44267547]

Lmaoo. This is a genuinely funny post.

But how is the HomePod not useful? The UE MegaBoom is $299 and doesn’t have “smart functions”.

Apple packed awesome audio technology into a device that is also a personal assistant (that will get better over time) and a hub for your smart home. You can still stream/AirPlay music to it that’s not in your Apple Music app.

I don’t get why it’s getting so much hate.

Not to mention, Apple will continue to provide updates and roll out new features through capabilities through software updates as the HomePod matures. It's way too early to make any pre-noted judgments without having experience for those who are chastising it. The audio itself I very look much forward to hearing.

 

[Moto6502]

Yeah, this would be the one time you wouldn't want to advertise power draw during playback for something that's being touted as premium. Audio/HT people know what I'm talking about. Even SONOS doesn't advertise it.

 

[raythepa]

Why does it feel like they're reaching....

 

[LordVic]

huh, that's interesting. when dealing with electrical equipment, low power usage is always a benefit.

However. we are talking about speaker equipment, which does tend to use more power the louder you overall want it to go.

Something tells me (and I honestly haven't read the PDF), that the measurements quoted here are at a specific volume setting, and once you start cranking the volume these numbers do to go up

 

[cmwade77]

In other words, it is using A LOT of electricity for what it is doing. For example, at maximum volume Amazon Echo maxes out at 7 watts (3 watts at medium volume) compared to Apple's 8.74 minimum while streaming, even at low volumes apparently.

Although the Echo does consume more power when idle, but not according to official specs, these are using real world meters to determine these numbers and right now we just have Apple's word for the power draw, eventually people will be able to us real world tests like this as well.

 

[newyorksole]

Not to mention, Apple will continue to provide updates and roll out new features through capabilities through software updates as the HomePod matures. It's way too early to make any pre-noted judgments without having experience for those who are chastising it. The audio itself I very look much forward to hearing.

Exactly. I’m excited to test it out and will critique accordingly, but it really seems like it’ll be awesome.

Now I do wish AirPlay 2 and Stereo Support would be available right away. That’s a bummer.

 

[macduke]

Lmaoo. This is a genuinely funny post.

But how is the HomePod not useful? The UE MegaBoom is $299 and doesn’t have “smart functions”.

Apple packed awesome audio technology into a device that is also a personal assistant (that will get better over time) and a hub for your smart home. You can still stream/AirPlay music to it that’s not in your Apple Music app.

I don’t get why it’s getting so much hate.

Just because I said the HomePod doesn't seem very useful doesn't mean that I think the UE MegaBoom is useful. As I've said before on these forums several times, any time I say "Hey Siri" several devices within range of me light up. My wife couldn't even use the HomePod to access her things as it would only recognize me. The point of a communal smart speaker is that more than one person could use it. This is zero different than any other Apple product that I own except that it has a nicer speaker inside. That might be useful to some who don't already have a speaker, but it's only kind of useful. Most people already own several speakers.

Then, when you factor in how much worse Siri is in many situations answering basic questions compared to competing platforms, you have to wonder why a regular person would buy this. I like that it has better security and privacy behind it, which is why I refuse to buy another brand of smart speaker. But in it's current state, the HomePod is not worth purchasing IMO. And I'm the guy who owns every Apple thing. Hopefully software updates will make it more useful in the future. Most people would be better served buying an Apple TV for less than half the cost and plugging it into their sound bar. Most people aren't audiophiles. Then they get a nice TV experience and can stream Apple Music and whatever else to their sound bar easily. I just don't see this thing gaining much traction for a long time. I'm usually pretty optimistic about new Apple products but I just don't see it here.